2008-A New Year and Beginning

This is the first post, I hope of many to come. I have always wanted a forum to help relieve the frustration of chronic pain.

I am so glad I found this forum to find others that are experiencing the same thing. I read a post from a young lady last night that was very disturbing to me. She talked about her chronic pain and having 3 young children depending on her. I really cannot get the desperation of her post out of my mind.

There has to be something done to help people with chronic pain. I've read a lot on here about doctors not understanding their patients. When they try to talk to the doctor, they are being treated like they are just looking for drugs.

I have been to the doctors that have treated me the same way. After going through disc fusion in my neck and then injuring my spine, I went to a spine specialist. He was very abrupt when he heard my prior doctor had given me Vicodin. He said to me, 'I'll tell you right now...I am not a candy man.' I did not have a clue why he was saying this, that's how naive I am. I had to get home and relate the conversation to someone else that could explain this to me! I just started crying with the frustration.

I have been taking Cymbalta for the depression I feel and it has only made it worse. I took my first Lyrica today, and I feel like I can do things. It really seems to help. I will take another tomorrow and see if it helps.

I really hope to continue to post in this forum. I intend to read more posts and offer help and understanding to others.

January 12, 2008

When I first started this post on 1/8, I really thought...OK, I can do this. I will continue to write nightly as a journal and keep a record of how Lyrica is either working or not working.

I also enjoyed reading so many encouraging posts that it really made me feel like I was doing something good. Thanks go out to Mear, Chuck and Betty Boop Too! Wow, what a feeling these people gave me after I had been so down with pain!

Well, guess what no posts the 9th-11th.

I promised myself to sit down nightly and recap the day. The day of the 9th, I took my next dose of Lyrica. It really did give me energy to do the things I needed to do. I noticed improvement in pain levels. My mental state was so positive. My mind actually went to work that day!

My prescription is 75mg twice daily. When I took the second pill that night at about 7pm., by 9pm I was feeling so sleepy I couldn't hardly hold my eyes open. I feel asleep in my chair. I then slept very soundly that night and morning, which I haven't been able to do in awhile. In fact, I am going for a sleep study this month.

1/10/08

I woke up feeling better than I have in awhile, took my morning dose, and what happened? I felt drugged out again. I was so sleepy, I couldn't do anything. I did not take the second dose that night.

1/11/08

I again took my dose in the am, and I felt very good again and was able to do my work. I took my pm dose after feeling so good and again went to sleep and had a good night's rest.